There are a lot of models out there: flip phones like the CAT S22 or Sunbeam F1 Horizon, “candy bar” phones like the Nokia 110 4G and the Light Phone, which looks like a small e-reader.

I wasn't ready to get my 10-year-old a smartphone, but a flip phone has been a great compromise. It has made our lives so much easier.

Japanese shipments of traditional flip-phones rose in 2014 for the first time in seven years while smartphone shipments fell, highlighting Japanese consumers' tenacious attachment to the familiar ...